alerts stretch from kansas through michigan as major storm brings blizzards, severe thunderstorms and damaging winds. expect thunderstorms in the gulf coast states and cooler temperatures in florida. in t northeast sees rain tonight with a wintry mix in new england. a storm moving ashore in the pacific northwest and november california is creating heavy mountain snow and coastal flash flooding. hmm. that was almost not the word i said there. >>> "cbs moneywatch" on your thursday. a gm buyback and big bargains for last-minute bargain shoppers. save me, ashley. >> was a slippery slope there. good morning to you. it triggered profit taking. tokyo's nikkei dropped 1%, while hong kong's hang seng added a fraction. >>> hope turning to frustration over congress's ability to avoid a fiscal cliff sent a chill down wall street. the dow dropped nearly 99 points while the nasdaq shed 10 points. >> the u.s. government is selling its stake in the automobile maker that taxpayers bailed out four years ago. gm is buying back 200 million shares from the government. they'll unload the rest of its shares